Brazil looked a bit shaky yet again on Sunday, but found a way to squeak out a win again, locking up their place in the quarterfinals. They followed up their 3-2 win over Egypt with a game that was even more of a nailbiter, but Neymar pulled out some heroics to guide Brazil to a 3-1 victory over Belarus.
Brazil Vs. Belarus, 2012 Olympics: Neymar Rescues Selecao In 3-1 Win
The underdogs got off to a dream start with an eighth-minute goal, finished off by BATE Borisov star Renan Breassan. His header came at the end of a fantastic move, assisted by right back Aleksi Koslov with a cross. Their lead didn't last long, with Alexandre Pato snatching an equalizer in the 15th minute. It was created in a similar manner to the Belarus goal, with a cross into the box for a forward that beat his man in the air. Neymar, the man of the match for Brazil, provided the assist.
Belarus continued to play well throughout the first half, but Brazil began to take over in the second half. It took until the 65th minute for them to take the lead, but they did it on an absolutely stunning goal. Neymar was the scorer, hitting a perfectly curled free kick from 30 yards out into the side netting, past Aleksandr Gutor at his far post.
The game was well won heading into stoppage time, with Brazil in control, but Neymar felt the need to erase any doubt about who was the best player on the pitch. He set up a chance for Oscar on a silver platter with a spectacular backheel and the Chelsea attacker buried it, sealing Brazil's 3-1 win.
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